Fasten a Felt Flower to a Pillow

Back when I first joined Pinterest (and I barely remember life before it), I saw a version of this pinned on there. I went back to  get the proper link but it is now broken.  My version is pretty different but I still like to give credit for inspiration so I did a little sleuthing, and although Classy Clutter's blog link seems broken, or down momentarily, I did find them on Facebook. Check out their page there and hopefully they'll get their site back up soon.

Anywho, the reason I love this project so much is because it's an easy and cheap way to update a throw pillow. And before you judge, YES I jumped on the Chevron pattern train. I normally resist such things but I have to admit, I do love it. So here we go:

Now, if you were any kind of Simple DIY Home friend, you would already know how to make a throw pillow. In case you are new, or simply forgot, here is the link for that tutorial. 

Moving on.

Here is what I needed to add my felt flower to the pillow:

~ Stencil with various sizes of ovals (or circles, if you prefer). ~

~ Felt. I bought 4 sheets at Michaels for 29 cents each. ~

~ Freezer paper. This helps to keep the ovals smooth when cut from the felt. ~

~ Scissors & and an iron. ~

I first traced my ovals onto the plain, NON-SHINY side of a piece of freezer paper.

I normally don't cut a set amount of ovals, I just eyeball it as I go, often laying the ovals on the pillow (before gluing) to get an idea. For this particular felt flower I used the following amounts:

13 - Large Ovals

20 - Medium Ovals

7 - Small Ovals

5 - Extra Small Ovals

6 - Small circles (center of flower)

I put the freezer paper with the stenciled ovals on top of the pieces of felt. Since I stenciled the ovals onto the plain side of the freezer paper, the shiny side of the freezer paper is what is in contact with the felt.

I then ran the iron over the freezer paper a few times.

Once I felt the freezer paper was stuck to the felt I stopped and began cutting out the ovals. The heat from the iron helps seal the two together and makes the cutting of the felt smoother.

I cut each oval in half and peeled the freezer paper off.

Now that my felt petals were ready, I got out my glue gun and added a line of glue to the flat section of each oval.

Where you put your first felt petal is a personal preference. I prefer the flower in the center of the pillow but putting a smaller flower in one of the top corners would look pretty cute.

The first row had all large ovals. The second and third were medium, then small ovals. I just kept layering. One note: Hot glue dries quickly so I had to commit to where I wanted my petal to go. Repositioning is tough and messy. I had my next few petals laid out so I could decipher how I wanted it to look before I got to them.

I kept going until I got closer to the center.

Once at the center, I began to make my circles for the center petals of the flower. I decided I wanted a smaller circle than the can I put in the initial supply picture I posted above, so I used the top to a vitamin bottle. I stenciled, ironed, and cut to make six circles.

I then folded each circle in half.

Then folded each in half again.

I put some hot glue in the middle of those top pieces you see in the photo to keep it together.

I made six of the above center petals and began to add them to the flower.

Note: After I hot glued the first center petal to the flower, I decided to cover up the little section of chevron that was showing. I just glued some extra petals flat to the center.

Here's the final product:

Super easy and a lot cheaper than buying a new throw pillow.

~ B

Pillow Palooza!

Recently I did a post on how to make a simple throw pillow using a ladder stitch to close. If you are not a fan of hand stitching, this post is for you.

First I picked my fabric. I usually use a different fabric for the back that matches whatever pattern I'm using for the front.

I then cut a 16 x 16 inch square for the front of my pillow (I'm using the same size pillow insert).

Next I made my back pieces. I cut 2 squares, both 16 x 11 inches. A great blog, Sew Mama Sew, has measurements for the most common pillow sizes/forms.

I folded the top (the wider part of the square) of each back square a quarter inch, ironed, then folded another 1/4 inch to make a hem.

I stitched down each hem.

Here are both back pieces with hems finished.

Now I arranged the pieces. The "front" piece right side up. The first "back" piece right side down, hem on bottom, on top of it. 

I then lay the second "back" piece right side down, hem up top, overlapping the first "back" piece.

Pin all pieces and sew, starting about a 1/3 of the way down one side of the pillow. When I got to a corner I stopped 1/4 inch away, left needle down, lifted the foot and pivoted to sew up the other side. Do not sew all the way to corners.

Once done sewing all the way around (overlapping a bit over the part where I started), I inserted the pillow form.

This is how the back of the pillow looks with the envelope closure. 

Envelope enclosures are great for when you have kids or pets and want to be able to take the pillow cover off to wash it. It also eliminates having to hand sew the pillow opening closed after inserting your pillow form.

~ B

Quick Throw Pillow

Sometimes I get bored of my living room. Rather than move furniture around or paint the room a new color, I just change the accessories. A quick way to do this is by making new throw pillows.

This is not a complicated sewing project. Just pick your pillow insert (above is 16 x 16) and fabric.

I usually use a front fabric (pattern) and a back fabric (a solid that matches the pattern). 

The first thing I do is iron whatever fabric I'm using. This particular fabric is 100% cotton, quilting fabric. 

It's usually ideal to use home decor fabric (sturdier) but these pillows will just be for "show" and not handled too much.

Next, I cut both pieces (the fabric I'm using for the front and back). Measurements are personal preference. I used to take into account the seam amount and add a 1/2 inch to my measurements. Example: If I had a 16 x 16 pillow form I would cut the fabric 16 1/2 x 16 1/2 because I would be sewing with a 1/4 inch seam allowance.

Because this particular fabric had a lot of stretch and because I like a pillow to be "full" I stuck with 2 squares measuring 16 x 16 inches. 

~ Here are my front (left) and back (right) fabric ~

Next I placed fabric "right sides" together.

I usually start sewing about 1/3 of the way down, not at a corner. I have to keep in mind that I need to keep a space open to fit the pillow form in.

Again, I use a 1/4 inch seam, all the way around while I'm sewing. This particular foot has a guide attached to help me stay in that 1/4 inch but most sewing machines have measurements etched onto the plates.

When I was about a 1/4 an inch away from a corner I stopped.  

Leaving my needle down, I lifted my lever to pivot and position myself to sew up the next side.

Tip: stitch and backstitch when you start and finish sewing. This way the area around the opening is stitched tightly for when you are stuffing the pillow insert.

Next I turned the sewn pieces right side out.

Then inserted my pillow form.

Once the pillow form was inserted, I folded over the edges of the opening about a 1/4 inch and ironed them.

Next I pinned the opening closed.

The benefit of a "ladder" stitch is that, if done correctly, you don't see the stitch itself. I come in underneath the folded hem that I ironed and cross over underneath the opposite folded hem. I keep the stitching a bit loose as I go and slowly tighten up at the end. I found this video helpful when I first began to use a ladder stitch.

Here is the finished product:

You don't have to buy new furniture or paint to change up your living area. Finding a fabric you like and making your own throw pillows is an easy and inexpensive way to add something different.

~ B

Sweater Pillow

The other day I went to put on my favorite sweater and discovered a hole. To say I was devastated is an understatement. Just kidding, it's a sweater; but it's soft and my favorite color and I look cute in it (if I do say so myself). As I was balling it up to toss in the trash, I realized this did not have to be the end for my sweater. My sweater could live on as a pillow.

My trusty sewing machine, some pins, a pillow insert, and some needle & thread is all I needed for this project.

Step 1: Cut the material. First I cut off the material I did not need for the pillow (such as the sleeves). 

My pillow form was 12 x 16 inches. Normally when measuring to cut material for a pillow I will add a 1/2 inch (1/4 inch for seam allowance on each side) but because my sweater material was stretchy I just kept to the 12 x 16 inches measurement. Just see how much "give" your material has when trying to decide on measurements.


I cut it in a way so that I could utilize one of the sides still sewn on the sweater, yay for shortcuts!

Step 2: Once I had my measurements and had cut the material I then placed "right sides" together. Basically I put the material I wanted to show on the outside on the inside facing each other. 

Step 3: Sew sweater material together, leaving one short side open for the pillow form.

As previously noted, sweater material can be a bit stretchier than regular cotton sewing fabric. I held the material as I sewed to make sure it stayed lined up.

As I neared each corner I would stop, lift the presser foot, and reposition to go up the next side so each side of the pillow had 1/4 inch seam allowance.

Step 4: Now that I had 3 sides sewn together I turned the sweater material right side out and inserted the pillow form through the short side I left open.






Step 5: Next, take the material at the opening, fold it in a little bit, and pin closed. 

Step 6: Take a needle and thread (knotted at the bottom) and stitch open end closed. 

I use a ladder stitch for this. It is relatively easy and invisible because the stitches are done inside the little folds you've made.






With everything stuffed, pinned, and stitched. My sweater became a pillow.

~ B